Shell-dam.



180.878,291. PATBNTED PEB. 4, 1808.

E. B. JBNNINGS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.2l.1907.

4 0 of the ground line ofthe inclined Walls and UNITED STATES,

EDWIN B. JENNrNes,

PATENT OFFICE;

OFNEW Yoan, N. Y.

" snnLa naiifr.-

Application filed Oct Specification of Letters Pateiit.

@bei 2 1. 1907. smaila. 398.356.

Patented Feb. 4, 1eo8..

. 'tres'sl piers; they. are formed integral vvith said buttress piersand are'aiched between andvtransversely'of the lines of the buttresspiers and towandtheimpounded Water, the arches being sprunof fromthecen'ters of the buttress piers as will be a arent frorn F ig. 2. Inthe buttress piers provide series of cavitiesv 2 vertically disposed andslightly inclined and in'the inclined walls I provide other series ofcavities 3 longitudinally disposed between the outer and inner surfacesof said inclinedwalls and running longieffecting economy of .materialsWithout Vthe .v sacrifice of eflieiency.

i5 a series ot buttress piers set parallel with .one

'- yanother ands aced apartasuitable and prez'leterniinedV distance;andA inclined Walls formed,integrally-.therewith and` arched lie-:vtween Aan `,tr`ansversely of the (lines of the :buttress' -iers andtoward vthe,impounded vWater. ithin'these v valls I provide series- -Oflo itudinally disposed circular cavities" and lWithin the buttress piersI provide series lof vertically .disposedandfslightly inclinedl circularcavities which reduce the amount of I t t I tudinally, that is,`fro rnnear t-he foot to near n n carrying ou my inven ion, provi( e the amountof material employed and the Weight of the buttress piers and Wallswithout detracting from the strengthoi' the 'saine-or the rigidity'ofthe structureand'they further :make it possible to employ a thicker wally and thicker buttress piers. These cavities in.- 1 cross section areofcirc'ular configuration and ypreferably of elliptical configuration asshown` in the drawing, althou h I do not limit myself' in this respect..f hess .cavities are of 50 llarger' areanear the foot of thewwalls and f.the topof the walls'.4 These cavities reduce material efmloyed and theweight without detracting om the strength or rigidity.'This-construction'permits of athicker wall ndthicker'buttress piers andconsequentlyl ac d greater area o i foundation bearing. The form of'theunder earth or rock foundation, the mann-er of connecting the Wallsand.' buttresses thereto, or .the angle 'of inclination of .the wall broppositeedge of the 'hut'tress piers forms no part of my invention., jA.Inth'e drawing, Figure 1 isa vertical cross vsection .andpartialelevation at the dotted line F' 2. Fig.` 2 is a horizontal seo. tion atthelotted line y, y, Fig'. 1, andpla'ny buttress'piers, 'and Fig. Bis avertical' section L in fsmallersizao'f one buttress pier, at the-`dotted line z, e, Fig; 1. Inthe drawing, a represents the `earth or`rock bed which is to :be 'suitably excavated to 'any desired depth and,also in any desired 'marinai-.for a suitable `foundation a1` uponW'hichthe buttress' piers l) and the inclinedvinte al `Walls c aretolle; rected and .by whic they are to. be su portd.. I

The buttress piers rareof theA desired -thickness. and set -parallel toone another `'where the shell dam is to be in' lineand'they Ire suitablyspaced apart at a .predeter-' butt-rasees and contract in area towardthe ltop of the Wallsand buttresses. ',The buttresses are preferablyWider at the lower parts `near their 'foundations than at the 'top asshown in Fig. 3, on account of the increased bearing thereby. provided,but I do notlimit my invention -in this respect. From Fig. 2 it will benoticed that the outer up stream surfaces of the arched walls c' areformed on a greater radius than are the .inner surfaces 'hetweenthebuttresses ,with the result that the Wallarches are thinn/est at thecenter and thickest at the buttresses, l.thus strengthening andstifening the .arches Without sacrifice oie-material: The. el ipticalconguratienof-the cavities which in any cross section takenthereofresents the form 4 of an arch strengthens the s ell between saidf cavities and the 'outer surfaces; the arch hav- 100 inga tendencytoprevent a pressing strain.' Furthermorethis form of construction in4sures'a greaterarea of foundation bearing, making ltmore difiicu t touri-seat the shell dani than would he the case if the foundation vandWalls were narrower. In both thebuttress piers and the inclined Wallsthe elliptical cavities in their longest dimensions are lparallel withthe central line of buttress piers 0r Walls),4 therefore making itpossible to use a $110 medium sizeofwall rather than an extensive mineddistance, and the inclined walls c extd'aloag'eorresponding edges of thebut- Wall, which would be necessaryif the cavities were turdo that theirlongest diameters Were at right angles to the line of the pieis orYwalls. I do not limit myself to the proximity or number of these'elliptical cavities nor to the kind or character of foundation employedfor the shell darn, nor to the inclination of the' wallsr or buttresspiers. I further do not limit myself to constructing the shell damaccordingtdiny invention of plain or rein'- forced concrete, but Iprefer to construct the buttress piers and the inclined walls so thatthey are integral.

I claim as my invention: y

1. A shell dam comprising' a seriesI of buttress piers suitably spacedapart and inclined walls along one edge of said iers formedintegrally'rtherewith and arche between and transversely 'of the linesof the buttress piers and toward the impounded Water, said buttresspiers and inclined Walls being constructed vwith series of circularcavities therein.

y 2. A shell dam comprising a series of buttress piers set arallel andspaced apart at a predeterminer distance and inclined walls archedbetween and transversely on the lines of the buttress piers and towardthe ini-l pounded Water, with the arches sprung from the center of thebuttress piers, the saidV buttress piersbeing each formed with series ofelliptical cavities therein parallel with the outer edge of the buttresspiers and the inclined walls formed with elliptical cavities therein inseries running lengthwise from near the foot to near the top 'of thewalls and all of said elliptical cavities arranged with the longest axis1n line with the centers of the Walls and piers.

3. A shell dani comprising a series of buttress piers set parallel andspaced apart at a predetermined distance and incline'd walls archedbetween and transversely on the lines of the buttress piers and towardthe impounded Water, with the arches sprung from the center of thebuttress piers, the said buttress piers being each formed with series ofelliptical cavities therein parallel with the outer vedge of thebuttress piers and. the in- .clined walls formed with circular cavitiestherein in series running lengthwise' froml near the foot to near thetop of the walls.

4. A shell dam comprising a series of-buttress piers suitably spacedapart and inclined Walls along one edge of said iers formed integrallytherewith and arche be'- tween and transversely of the lines of thebuttress piers and toward the impounded water,v saidv buttress piers andinclined Walls' being constructed with series :of circular cavitiestherein and the buttress piers being widerv at their lower foot portionsthan at the to I5. A shell dam comprising a series of buttress pierssuitably spaced apart and inclined Walls along one edge of said piersformed in- `tegrally therewith and arched 4between and tress pierssuitably spaced apart and in'-y clined Walls along one edge of said iersformed integrally therewith and arche be tween and transversely of thelines of' the .buttress piers and toward the impounded` water, the outerup stream surfaces of the arched walls being formed on a greater radiusthan are the inner surfaces between the- A.

buttresses; whereby the arches thinnest at the centers are, increased inthickness at the ends joining into the buttress piers, and said buttresspiers and inclined walls being constructed with series of circularcavities therein.

Signed by me this 14th day: of October,

IVitnesses:

GEO. T.. PINCKNEY, E. ZACHARIASEN.

EDWIN B. JENNiNGs.

